From the City of Fort Wayne:

http://cityoffortwayne.org/latest-news/2611-riverfront-study-public-input-meetings-scheduled.html

February 24, 2014 - The public is invited to share their vision for Fort Wayne’s downtown riverfront at two public input meetings.Both meetings will take place at the main branch of the Allen County Public Library in the auditorium. The meetings are set for:

*Wednesday, March 12 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., with a presentation at 5:45 p.m.

*Thursday, March 13 from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., with a presentation at 11:15 a.m.

“Public input is critical to the success of our riverfront study,” said Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. “This is everyone’s riverfront and the final designs need to reflect the hopes and dreams of our entire community.”

In November 2013, the City contracted with SWA Group to conduct the Riverfront Study, which is the first comprehensive look at enhancing the use of our City’s rivers; it is intended to provide the road map to a world class investment.

During the public input meetings, SWA will provide an overview of the data collected and preliminary development concepts. The consulting team will then listen to citizens’ vision for the downtown riverfront; the team will use this input to create designs and implementation strategies.

SWA Group, an urban planning, design and landscape architecture firm working worldwide from seven locations, is the lead consultant on the study. They have extensive expertise in riverfront development in the U.S. and around the world. SWA’s team includes Fort Wayne-based MKM Architecture + Design; Market Feasibility Advisors; Biohabitats; Moffatt & Nichol; Empower Results; and AMEC.

The Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio was reached by a steep stairway, portions of which were wood and stone. One of the stone treads is now located at the Alexander T. Rankin house in Fort Wayne, donated by a John Rankin descendant. Photograph from the Ohio Historical Society.

Join us in either Fort Wayne or Sylvania for a program about the Underground Railroad in the Maumee Valley. This new presentation, by MVHC executive director Angie Quinn, is part of the Layers of History activities provided throughout the year. Quinn has studied  the Underground Railroad, abolition and reform movements of the mid19th century  for several years, and has presented programs throughout Indiana. She is excited about the wealth of materials about the efforts of so many to make themselves free in the Maumee watershed area.

On February 22, the program will be presented at 1:45pm at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, 311 E. Main Street. The Fort Wayne Museum of Art in collaboration with the African/ African American Historical Society and Museum and the Three Rivers Institute of Afrikan Arts and Culture is presenting Underground No More: A Symposium on the Underground Railroad on February 22, 2014 from 1pm-5pm.  The event is in conjunction with the exhibition Variations upon a Theme: Songs of the Underground Railroad, an installation by Ohio artist Johnny Coleman.  Local and regional scholars will be presenting on different topics associated with the Underground Railroad and Mr. Coleman will present on his installation.   The event will conclude with a reception where participants can meet the presenters and converse about the topics discussed during the day. Admission to this program is free, with admission to the museum ($1).

The Lathrop House in Sylvania was moved to Harroun Park, and is being prepared for tours by Toledo Metroparks. From the City of Sylvania webpage.

On February 23rd, the program will be held at the Sylvania Historic Village, at 2:00pm.  Sylvania was a frequent stop  for self-emancipated peoples as they traveled towards freedom in Canada. This event is free.

Please join us.

Looking for something to do on a snowy winter’s night? Join the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor for some family-friendly programming in the Valley:

January 13, 2014, 7 pm. — Layers of History: The Immigration Story of the Maumee Valley. Lecture and program by Angie Quinn, To be held in conjunction with the Path Stone Migrant Education Center, 2453 County Road V, Liberty Center, OH  43532. Contact Angie Quinn, 260-450-2057. (We are working to have a Spanish interpreter available for the program– want to volunteer?).

From Toledo, take US 24 west to exit 57, and go north on Ohio 295 to Neowash Road (143). Turn left and continue west on Neowash Road. As it crosses the county line into Henry County it becomes County Road V.  Path Stone is located on the south side of the road, between County Road 2 and County Road 3.

From Fort Wayne, take US 24 East to exit 47, and go north on 1o9 through Liberty Center. Continue north to County Road V, and turn right. Go east on County Road V. Path Stone is located on the south side of the road, between County Road 2 and County Road 3.

Eastbrook Drive follows the Spy Run, one of the many tributaries into the Maumee Watershed, near the headwaters of the Maumee River in downtown Fort Wayne. Quinn 2009.

Join us for a day-trip along the Maumee River, from its source in downtown Fort Wayne, passing festive Autumn-tinged fields and forests, nationally important historic sites, and visiting colorful downtowns, as we wind our way to Maumee Bay and downtown Toledo.

In Toledo we’ll take a cruise of the one of the busiest shipping ports in the Great Lakes aboard the Sandpiper, while enjoying a catered lunch from world-famous Tony Packo’s and then visit the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art before beginning our return via the Oak Opening region.

The tour begins at Fort Wayne at 8am, and will stop along the way in Antwerp, Defiance, Napoleon and Grand Rapids. Price includes boarding at one of these locations, continental breakfast on the bus, lunch from Tony Packo’s, and a tour of Maumee Bay aboard the Sandpiper

Your bus tour guide is Angie Quinn, of Fort Wayne, and the cruise vessel guide is Fred Folger of Toledo.

Boarding at Fort Wayne, 8am: $65

Boarding at Antwerp, 9am: $60

Boarding at Defiance, 9:30am: $55

Boarding at Napoleon, 10:45am: $50

Boarding at Grand Rapids, 12:00: $45

Boarding at the Sandpiper, 1pm: $25

Paid Reservations due by September 15. Please send a check to Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor, 5100 W. Central Avenue, Toledo, OH, 43615.

Contact Angie via email with questions or more information at maumeevalleyheritagecorridor@hotmail.com.

A Ukelele Festival and concert in Woodburn, Indiana, or a new Art Exhibit about the Battle on Lake Erie, at the Toledo Art Museum. Take your pick!

http://vimeo.com/71660168

http://journalgazette.com/article/20130804/LOCAL/308049905

http://www.toledoblade.com/Art/2013/08/04/Toledo-Museum-of-Art-celebrates-200th-anniversary-of-Battle-of-Lake-Erie.html

Family Hike at Flat Rock Creek

Presented by Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor and ACRES Land Trust. Go to www.maumeevalleyheritagecorridor.org for information. This program is made possible in part by the Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

We’ll be sending the Spring, 2013 newsletter to our members and partners in the Maumee Valley during the next few weeks. But, you can read it here, first!   

Spring 2013 Newsletter-MVHC

Time to grab the binoculars, and take a walk in the Maumee Valley. This coming week is ideal for bird watching, as migrant warblers, vireos and others make their return to the Great Lakes, and the new leaves on the trees are still small enough not to obstruct the view above.

The Biggest Week in Birding in America is a weeklong festival at one of the best bird watching locations in the country. Walk in registration is still possible, according to the website:

“We will accept walk-in registrations at the festival registration table at Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center and at Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Cost for walk-in registration is $20. The registration table will be open from 7 A.M. – 7 P.M. Thursday, May 2^nd through Friday, May 10^th. Walk-in registration gains you access to the daily guided walks at Magee Marsh, evening socials at Maumee Bay Lodge, and discounts at dozens of participating local businesses.”

Other great spots in the Maumee Valley include:

Black Swamp Nature Center, Paulding

Farnsworth and Oak Openings Metroparks, Toledo area

Franke Park, Fort Wayne

The Maumee Valley Scenic Byway–a major program of the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor– is hosting this year’s Ohio Byway Links conference today and Friday. Welcome, to lovers of history, culture, nature, and recreation from all corners of Ohio. We’re looking forward to sharing our valley with you.

To learn more about the treasures to be found on scenic byways throughout Ohio, click here.

Join us at some great activities during 2013 and 2014. We’re looking for partner organizations to host these programs from MVHC. Send Angie an email if your organization is interested: maumeevalleyheritagecorridor@hotmail.com.

Upcoming Activities:

June 1, 2013 : National Trails Day: Angie Quinn, historian and naturalist/interpreter will present a program about the Layers of History of the Maumee River at the John Paulding Historical Society, in Paulding,  1pm, John Paulding Historical Society.  At 2pm, Angie and Mark Holtsberry, the Education Specialist for the Paulding County Soil and Water Conservation District will lead a hike at the Black Swamp Nature Center, which will cover the cultural history of site (the former Great Lakes Sugar Company), and the natural history of the site  has returned to nature over the last 60 years since the factory closed.

July 27, 2013—Tentative (we’re still looking for a funding source to help defray costs). MVHC will host a guided afternoon bus tour (from Fort Wayne, to Antwerp to Toledo) and then a guided tour of history of the lower Maumee River, aboard the Sandpiper Cruise vessel.  Local Historian Fred Folger will lead the Sandpiper tour while Angie Quinn leads the bus tour.

August, 2013—MVHC board member Bill Grimes will provide a program about phosphorus and other water quality issues in the Maumee Valley at the Defiance County Fair.

September,2013—MVHC plans to present a about the challenges and opportunities that were historically associated with living in the Maumee Valley Watershed, with its wetlands, prairies, and forests.

October, 2013—Ohio environmental reporter Karen Schaefer will present a program about the history of water quality activities in northern Ohio, based on her research developed during  a grant project with the Burning River Foundation in Cleveland. Schaefer has worked with WCPN, NPR, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Great Lakes Environmental Journalists organization. She has roots in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Oberlin, Ohio.  Location TBA.

November 9, 2013—Educational Workshops, Keynote Presentation and MVHC Annual Meeting. Theme: The Role of the Landscape of the Maumee Valley in the War of 1812. Presenters and workshop topics will be finalized in July.  Location TBA.

January, 2014 — Layers of History: The Immigration Story of the Maumee Valley, Toledo, Ohio. Location TBA.

February, 2014—Layers of History: Slavery and the Underground Railroad in the Maumee Valley, several locations, tentatively located in Sylvania, Lucas County (location TBA), Angola, Indiana, and at the African/African-American Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

March, 2014—Layers of History: Piracy in the Maumee Valley, locations TBA.  This fun and educational program will discuss the difficulties of river and canal travel, the exploits of such individuals as Simon Girty, and other criminals along the Maumee and Auglaize rivers, and more.

April, 2014—History and Culture of the portage areas of the Maumee Valley, and their role in today’s environmental challenges. Angie Quinn will present with Betsy Yankowiak, the Director of Preserves for the Little River Wetland Project in Fort Wayne. Eagle Marsh, Fort Wayne, and an Ohio location TBA.

May 2014: Layers of History: The Fallen Timbers Story. Meeting loation TBA.  A tour of the Fallen Timbers Memorial and an update on public access for the battlefield site nearby will be included.